The Free Cheese Game Club | Super Metroid

Super Metroid is a 1994 release for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the third entry in the Metroid series. The game was first released in Japan on March 19, 1994 for the Super Famicom, followed by a North American release on April 18, 1994 for the SNES.

In many ways, Super Metroid acts just as much as a remake as it does a sequel to the original NES game. The opening sequence of the game picks up from where the Game Boy game Metroid II: Return of Samus left off, and shows Samus with the last Metroid as she escapes a self-destruct sequence that has been set in place. Playing through the game, players control Samus through familiar areas that were present in the original game.

The game is known for its exploratory platforming gameplay, and it, along with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, helped to give birth to the portmanteau “Metroidvania” which defines a specific type of game that puts players inside of a large map that requires upgrades or new items to progress further.

Super Metroid is often regarded as one of, if not the, best game on SNES and it makes regular appearances on lists of the best video games of all time. The game has a fantastic sense of isolation and atmosphere, highlighting a lot of the original game’s inspiration from the 1979 movie Alien. The art design in the game constantly portrays a sticky and dripping feeling, and the music ranges from intense orchestral work to minimalist, haunting sounds.

We’ll be playing through Super Metroid over the next month and we invite you to play along with us. The purpose of our Game Club is to revisit the best games in history, particularly games that some of us have not completed. Highlighting this game for the next month is the perfect opportunity for anyone who has missed this classic to experience it for the first time.

We’ll be talking about the game in our forums as we play through, giving each other hints and tips as we further progress through the game. We’ll also spend some time throughout April playing the game live on Twitch, and posting some videos of our playthroughs.

Please join us in playing and talking about this game, especially if you haven’t played it before. You can find the game on both the Wii and Wii U Virtual Console, for 800 points and $7.99 respectively. Super Metroid is also being offered as a reward for Club Nintendo at 200 Coins.

One Comment

Woohoo! Finally finished this excellent game. It was quite an accomplishment for myself since I only used a strategy guide twice. (I’m dumb so I need to use strategy guides). The first time sorta does not count since I did not realize Samus could spring by holding B. I spent every moment before that not sprinting. Yes, I felt like an idiot and I was debating whether or not I should even tell people about it. But I think it is interesting since the game has no tutorials and I had no instruction manual for it. But whenever I play any Mario or Donkey Kong game, I am always holding the sprint button down. The second time I needed the strategy guide was much later on in the game, but I won’t spoil it.

Other than the gameplay, I really, REALLY liked the soundtrack and overall aesthetic of the game. All of the songs had the typical soft SNES sound, but I think it went perfect with this game. I have trouble picking my favorite, but the first one that pops in my head is the Maridia Drifting Sand theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZjzgP_w15k). The first time this theme played, I immediately thought about 80’s campy-horror movies, I can’t exactly explain why, but I think it really does sound like something that would appear in that kind of movie. Also, speaking of movies, it was easy to see the Alien influence. I just saw the first one for the first time this past October so my mind is still kinda fresh on it.

I got a 78% collection rate for the items, which I am okay with since I didn’t want to spend too much time with this game. When it comes to Metroid, I’ve only played this one, Fusion, and Zero Mission. I cannot really remember much of both Fusion or Zero Mission, but I do remember having an excellent time with both. I have only played Metroid Prime for a solid 5 minutes and I remember not being able to get into it, despite my love for shooters.

I am almost 100% positive Nintendo won’t ever make a 2D Metroid like this but if they do, I will make sure to purchase it day 1. I wish Nintendo made games like this where it is obvious they were influenced by films such as Alien.